The National Union of Romanian Hauliers (UNTRR) welcomes the political agreement reached regarding the enlargement of the Schengen Area with Romania and Bulgaria's air and sea borders starting from March 2024, but calls on Romanian and European authorities to also establish a clear date for the enforcement of the Schengen visa-free rules for land borders as well, starting in 2024."Schengen accession is an important and much-awaited step by Romanian passengers and transport operators, which should have been achieved as early as in 2011, when the European institutions found that Romania meets all the technical requirements for admission. Given that all passenger data are at the disposal of air transport operators, the enlargement of the Schengen Area with Romania's air borders could have been accomplished a long time ago. There is obviously no justification of a technical nature for the delay, the reasons are political, the members of the EU club have chosen to punish Romania and Bulgaria and reduce their competitiveness all this time, curbing their development potential. Yet now, Romania's joining the Schengen with the land borders is an emergency for road freight carriers whose efficiency is currently severely penalized through the extremely long waiting times (about 30 - 36 hours daily between Romania and Bulgaria) and for coach operators, in order to avoid the significant administrative burden arising from the new obligations of verifying passenger data in the European EES and ETIAS travel registration and authorization systems starting from next year," UNTRR secretary general Radu Dinescu said, as cited in a release of the organization.According to a report conducted by UNTRR this year on the impact on road freight of Romania being kept out of Schengen, the industry incurred losses of 2.41 billion euros."We request the urgent setting of a definite date for Romania's Schengen entry with land borders too, and if there are certain special requirements, they should be clearly mentioned in order to have a precise reference regarding the accession calendar and the goals to be achieved. The criteria the other members of the EU club want Romania and Bulgaria to fulfill must not exceed the general framework and the technical requirements for admission," said Dinescu.UNTRR representatives point out that the road transport industry, which with 7.66 billion euros in 2022 is Romania's largest exporter of services, is the economic branch most affected by Romania being kept out of Schengen.
East Grain Group and Poultry Investment SA have acquired the 45% stake previously held by UBM Group in UBM Feed Romania, thus becoming equal shareholders in one of Romania's largest feed producers, which will now operate under the brand Protena. East Grain is controlled by Czech agri-food group Agrofert, one of the largest agribusiness groups […]
The Foreign Investors Council (FIC) has appointed Ruxandra Băndilă as its executive director. Băndilă will coordinate FIC's activity and "will contribute to strengthening the dialogue with authorities, consolidating the organization's positioning as a reliable partner in promoting a stable and predictable business environment, as well as supporting Romania's becoming a competitive and attractive destination for […]
Romania’s European projects and investments minister, Dragoș Pîslaru, announced that he will notify the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) regarding the purchase of electric minibuses for students with EU funds. The minister said that “multiple dysfunctions” were noted in how the EU funds were used in the project. Aside from notifying the EPPO, the minister […]
Only about 44% of employees in Romania say they have used AI in the past year, while the average usage rate in the 48 countries included in the report was 57%, according to the PwC Workforce Hopes and Fears Survey 2025 report. India and Vietnam are at the top, with 84%, followed by China (78%). […]
A new four-star hotel is set to rise next to Bucharest’s Henri Coandă International Airport, following a EUR 45.5 million investment announced by real estate developer D. GROUP. The Wyndham Garden Bucharest Airport Hotel, scheduled to open in July 2027, will introduce the Wyndham Garden brand to Romania for the first time. Located 150 metres […]
Romania ranks 3rd in a European heatwave vulnerability ranking and will experience 3 heatwave events annually, lasting 17 cumulative days with average temperatures of 36.82°C, placing it ahead of all Mediterranean countries, according to new research from climate system experts at Reinders Corporation. The study analysed climate modelling data, heatwave frequency, and average temperatures across […]
